Fuel heater



Nov. 6, 1928.

I. E. ASKE FUEL HEATER Filed May 12, 1924 IN V EN TOR.

M g BY Jaiqhrafim A TTORNEYS.

Patented. Nov. 6, 1928.

IRVING E. ASKE, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

FUEL HEATER.

Application filed Haym,

My invention relates to fuel heaters and has for its object the provision of a cheap and effective fuel heater adapted'to be heated by heated fluids or gases, as bythe exhaust of a hydrocarbon en ine. It has for a further object the provision of a novel fuel heat er adapted to volatilize or fume liquid particles of fuel, as for hydrocarbon engines. With these and other objects in View, it con- 1 sists of the structures, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimedr In the drawin s, the figure shows an elevation, partly bro en away, of one form of a mixture-supply manifold, and a fragmentary elevation of one form of an engine exhaust manifold, partly broken away, in cooperative relation to said supply manifold; saidmanifolds showing my invention embodied there- In the drawings, 1 is a mixture supply conduit or manifold for supplying fuel mixture to a hydrocarbon engine, the intake end of which manifold is indicated at 1, at which 2 end it is adapted to be connected in any suitable manner to the throat of a carburetor not shown, but well known to the art. The outlet orts of said mixture manifold are indicated y broken lines at 1 and 1, respectively, at which points said supply manifold is a apted to be connected in any suitable manner or by any suitable means to a hydrocarbon engine not shown. Intermediate of said outlet ports a dome 1 is formed upon said supply manifold, through which dome a heating rod 2 is directed any suitable distance. into a chamber 2 within said dome or into said manifold. Said rod may, if desired, be tubular, but I prefer to make it solid. It is made position, preferably of copper and preferably of a better heat-conducting material than cast iron or than the material of which said supply or exhaust manifolds are made. Said rod is secured in said dome in any suitable manner or by any suitable means, but I prefer to make it of the same diameter as the aperture for its passage and to force one end of it throu h said aperture with a suitable press, where y a tight fit is assured.

Said supply manifold is so positioned with respect to an exhaust manifold 3 as to bring said dome close to one of the walls of said exhaust manifold, and preferably partly enveloped by such wall. Extending through said exhaust manifold is a heater rod 4 of any of any suitable heat-conductingmetal or com- 1924. Serial No. 712.654,

is adapted to engage said wall and to be.

screwed into pressure contacting osition with respect to said rod 2. Said r0 4 may be tubular or solid, but I prefer to make it solid, said rod 4 may also be made of any suitable metal or composition or substance,

preferably of a better heat-conducting material than the material of said exhaust manifold or than cast iron. If desired, either or both of said rods may be hollow and filled with a different metal or material than the walls of the rod. If desired, afsingle rod common to both of said manifolds may be used in Cplace of the rods 2 and 4, and may be mounte or secured.in said manifolds in any suitable manner or by; any suitable means, as in the same manner t at said rod 2 is secured in said dome.

It will be understood that said dome, although shown spaced slightly from said exhaust conduit, will be positioned as close to said conduit as may be possible or practicable, and that said invention is not intended to be limited to use with manifolds of the forms shown or limited to usewith any manifold type of conduits.

In operation, the hot exhaust gases from the engine cylinders in passing through said exhaust manifold, heat said rod '4, which because of its great conductivity and its pressure contact withsaid rod 2, heats said rod 2 to a high temperature, but not sufiiciently hot to explode the fuel mixture in said supply manifold.

The liquid particles of fuel entering said supply manifold are, because of their weight and speed, projected out of the main current of gas and into said dome and against said rod 2 and are thereby heated and converted into hot dense fumes, which being light are drawn back into the current of gases flowing through the, branches of the manifold to the engine cylinders. It will be noted that this vaporizer requires no special expenditure of fuel to generate the heat by which it is operated, and that it does 'not ex plode or burn or dilute any of the fuel flowing ill) to the engine cylinders. The fuel mixture is thus left in full stren h and efiicienc such efiicienc being great y increased by t e pre-heating y my said invention, which is especially deslrab e when using low grade, or heavy h drocarbon fuel oils or mixtures. It will be urther noted that in one form of my said invention said heati I rod is not in the direct draft from the inta e of the fuel manifold to its outlets, and the cooling efiect of said draft is thus in a material degree evaded.

It is obvious that my said invention may be modified or altered in various particulars within the scope and spirit of my claim.

What I claim is women The combination of a hydrocarbon fuel supply manifold having an intake art and a ome formed thereon a proximate y'inaxial alignment with sai intake rt, of a heat transmitting rod extending t rough the wall of said dome into the chamber within said dome, an exhaust manifold for products of combustion, and a heat transmittin rod adapted to contact with the first sai rod and extendin throu h the wall of said exhaust manifo d into t e passage for the products of combustion therein.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

IRVING E. ASKE. 

